Radiance Films General Discussion & Wishlist

[swo17]

I suggested Deville on the first page of the survey but my title recommendation was Manoel dans l'île des merveilles

[rapta]

Announcements tomorrow for three films from 1965, 1977 and 1978 (along with full details for The Stunt Man).

EDIT: Someone on BR.com suggested it could be Sadao Nakajima's Japanese Godfather Trilogy (aka Japan's Don) as last month's newsletter clue was "an offer you can't refuse" and the Membership page mentions 'A Japanese crime boxset'. I'm inclined to agree with them!

My suggestions for 1965 included Parajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Konwicki's Jump, Costa-Gavras' The Sleeping Car Murders, Petrović's Three and Petri's The 10th Victim. Each would be exciting, especially those that have been restored (possibility of a 4K bump for one or two of them).

[DJBillyMac]

I do tend to agree with the Japanese Godfather guess, here are a few others that I found just searching Letterboxd - I agree with The 10th Victim being a solid possibility.

Love at Sea - Gilles
Le Corniaud - Oury
The Moment of Truth - Rosi
Story of a Prostitute - Suzuki
Not Reconciled - Straub/Huillet
Samurai Assassin - Okamoto
The Koumiko Mystery - Marker
With Beauty and Sorrow - Shinoda
Seisaku's Wife - Masamura
The Camp Followers - Zurlini

Also, 1977 is probably just the Japanese Godfather ones, but it could also be Kakogiannis's Iphigenia, which would also fit the 'Greek epic'

[domino harvey]

1978 is the year of Deville’s Le Dossier 51, which is not the title I’d pick from his filmography but which does feel very much like something Radiance would release

[Finch]

I didn't care for The Rapacious Jailbreaker and only the first of the three Japanese Godfather films gets anything like consistent praise on Letterboxd, so I'm actually hoping it's not those. Another BR user suggested Beast in the Shadows for 1977 which I'd be more down for, given that only one Tai Kato film of the many Radiance has released has disappointed me so far.

[rapta]

Not sure the Rosi would happen as it's crossover with Criterion (only if they combined it with other films in a box set, or improved on the Criterion release in some way).

Sadly I think someone asked if they could acquire some Shinoda through Shochiku and they were told they weren't available (ditto Nomura, Gosha, Oshima etc). Presumably Criterion have worldwide exclusive rights and are holding onto them.

Okamoto is a non-starter as it's Toho, but Masumura is a possibility. Arrow were releasing Masumura films quite consistently but then just stopped, so maybe Radiance will pick it back up again (or Eureka should they be interested). That particular film is with Kadokawa though, so would depend on whether either party had a deal with them obviously.

Beast in the Shadows/A Scream from Nowhere does seem logical, but we did already have a Kato announcement last month. Similarly, some have suggested Truffaut's The Man Who Loved Women and The Green Room for 1977 and 1978, but we had a Truffaut last month as well...

[domino harvey]

Similarly, some have suggested Truffaut's The Man Who Loved Women and The Green Room for 1977 and 1978, but we had a Truffaut last month as well...

They are probably pushing these up due to the MGM licenses expiring soon. Truffauts were coming once a year and then we just got only two months between the last two, so not a bad guess really

[zedz]

Also, 1977 is probably just the Japanese Godfather ones, but it could also be Kakogiannis's Iphigenia, which would also fit the 'Greek epic'

Considering how sparse the representation of Greek cinema has been on English-friendly home video, I'd hope that Radiance would prefer to go with something that's not already available on BluRay.

[domino harvey]

I still have my unopened Olive Blu-ray!

[Calvin]

I'd also be surprised to see them release Iphigenia for that reason, unless as part of a larger Cacoyannis box set. I could see them doing Stella, though it is part of the BFI Southbank's melodrama season and Radiance aren't credited so I presume they don't have it currently

[GaryC]

I could see them doing Stella, though it is part of the BFI Southbank's melodrama season and Radiance aren't credited so I presume they don't have it currently

Maybe, maybe not. The BFI are showing a 35mm archive print, presumably the same one I saw at the first Film on Film in 2023.

[Calvin]

I'd also be surprised to see them release Iphigenia for that reason, unless as part of a larger Cacoyannis box set. I could see them doing Stella, though it is part of the BFI Southbank's melodrama season and Radiance aren't credited so I presume they don't have it currently

Colour me surprised. It obviously advances on the Olive in terms of extras but, given that it doesn't appear to be a new restoration, I am surprised that Radiance went for it.

[Finch]

Newsletter clue for March: Next month, a new generation!

[Calvin]

Newsletter clue for March: Next month, a new generation!

I'll be surprised if this is anything other than Fudoh: The New Generation, given we know a Miike is coming.

[Finch]

Fran said on Radiance's social media that there'll be more gialli and hopes to add more Greek titles to the collection.

[beamish14]

Newsletter clue for March: Next month, a new generation!

I'll be surprised if this is anything other than Fudoh: The New Generation, given we know a Miike is coming.

Or possibly Fassbinder’s The Third Generation?

[rapta]

Fran said on Radiance's social media that there'll be more gialli and hopes to add more Greek titles to the collection.

Biggest gap in the UK gialli output so far is arguably Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, followed by things like Barilli's Hotel Fear, Polselli's Delirium, Crispino's Autopsy and Cavara's The Black Belly of the Tarantula. I wonder if Radiance will lunge for any of those (the Fulci is with StudioCanal, it seems), or might go for some deeper cuts (might I suggest The Man with Icy Eyes, for example).

As for Greek titles, I suppose any that have been restored will get prioritised to start with, so I'd be surprised if we didn't see at least one Angelopoulos (unless someone else already snapped them up of course, most likely Criterion). Other titles they may go for include The Fear and The Shepherds of Calamity (aka Thanos and Despina), both of which have been restored and released on disc already elsewhere. The latter was in a Papatakis box set with only one other film in Greek, The Photograph (the others being French productions), so that could be a consideration too.

Also mentioned was more Nakajima, which I'm wondering might include titles released in the US already (Jeans Blues: No Future, The Great Okinawa Yakuza War) or totally new-to-disc titles (Cold Wind Monjiro 1&2, Memoir of Japanese Assassinations, Authentic True Account: Osaka Shock Tactics). I suppose there's a temptation to release films starring Meiko Kaji and Sonny Chiba for obvious reasons, but we'll see.

[MichaelB]

I'd be surprised if we didn't see at least one Angelopoulos (unless someone else already snapped them up of course, most likely Criterion).

Why "most likely"? They've shown no interest in his work up to now, so it seems to me that a far more plausible US candidate would be Kino, given their superb efforts with Miklós Jancsó - another undoubted European giant who's been totally and bafflingly blanked by Criterion.

Thus far, they've released just one Greek film to date - unsurprisingly, it's Z. And Hungary isn't doing much better with only three (one of which is buried in one of the World Cinema Project boxes), with nothing by Jancsó, Zoltán Fábri, Károly Makk, István Szabó, Zoltán Huszárik, you name it.

[ryannichols7]

it took them 1114 titles to touch something from Hungary, and we're going on 1300 titles without a through and through Greek title. I agree with MichaelB, I don't see why it would be Criterion. I could see some sort of Kino/Second Run or Radiance split

[rapta]

Sorry, I only suggested Criterion as they often seem to be the label 'competing' with Radiance for certain auteurs (e.g. Buñuel, Visconti, Saura) and since Arrow have disbanded the Academy they seem to take less risks in these things. I suppose BFI or Eureka might be interested as they do seem willing to take risks occasionally and deliver something oft-requested (e.g. Wiseman, Akerman, Feuillade, Żuławski, Bergman). I was talking more UK end of things hence why I didn't suggest Kino, but whilst I acknowledge Criterion are a US label, they are releasing in both the UK and US now so are dealing in rights for both territories (as are Radiance, Arrow, Eureka).

[MichaelB]

Criterion has a longstanding track record with Buñuel (ten films), Visconti (five) and Saura (four), but no track record at all with Angelopoulos.

Hence my puzzlement at your "most likely" assertion.

Artificial Eye under Angi Engel would have been by far the most genuinely likely UK label - and of course it was Artificial Eye who put them out on DVD (and theatrically, dating back to The Travelling Players in the mid-70s) - but he's long dead. Although it's not completely inconceivable, albeit a considerable commercial risk, that there might be an Angelopoulos career-spanning Curzon box set along the lines of Haneke, Tarr, Strickland, etc.

[andyli]

That'll be the day. One can dream.

[Lowry_Sam]

Although it's not completely inconceivable, albeit a considerable commercial risk, that there might be an Angelopoulos career-spanning Curzon box set along the lines of Haneke, Tarr, Strickland, etc.

With no blu-rays available, a comprehensive box from one label is a very real possibility, particularly if there’s movement on the part of his family to restore his legacy.

If there ever was a release that I would love to have isolated scores for this would be it & would make it an instant buy. At minimum at least one doc on Eleni Karaindrou would be nice.

[MichaelB]

I'm excited for the potential Dead Mountaineer's Hotel release as I've wanted to see it for ages and I think it's a perfect fit for Radiance. I can see Kat Ellinger working on it much like she did the commentary for Eureka's The White Reindeer. it would be a great start for Estonia, who have gotten less love from the US/UK boutiques and the Camera Obscura release in Germany isn't likely to get nearly as much of an audience over here as a Radiance release would. hopefully it would open the door for some of the even more obscure titles after that

It's coming out via Deaf Crocodile early in 2026, with a commentary by me—and in 4K UHD, so presumably region-free.

I can't comment on the restoration as I most likely won't get to see it myself until the final shrinkwrapped copy hits my doormat, but the mere fact that they're going for UHD (which is still unusual for them) suggests that they're confident that it's fully up to their usual sky-high standards.

[andyli]

A Zulawski film will be released by Radiance in 2026.